Piston syringes are commonly used in medical applications and in other environments to discharge or collect a variety of fluids. Frequently, piston syringes are used to irrigate tissues with saline solutions, and may also be used to administer medicaments or to administer nutrients to a patient. The syringes are also used to remove fluids that may have collected within tissues.
To achieve the foregoing and other functions, piston syringes generally have a relatively large capacity barrel within which a piston is slidably received. A user may move the piston within the syringe body to vary the void volume within the syringe body to discharge or collect fluids. Thus, by urging the piston into the syringe barrel, an operator may eject fluids from the syringe to irrigate tissues or other applications. Conversely, retracting the piston from the syringe barrel increases the volume of the void area, thereby causing a suction that draws fluids into the syringe barrel.
As a practical matter, health professionals who need to operate the piston syringe are often engaged in many activities simultaneously, thereby leaving them only one hand available to operate the syringe. This is especially true when the syringe is being used during surgery or in an emergency room. To facilitate easy manipulation, many piston syringes have a handle comprising opposed flanges extending from the upper portion of the syringe body that may be gripped by two fingers of a user's hand. A handle is attached to the upper end of the piston to enable the user to push the piston into the syringe body or to retract the piston. In most syringes that have been heretofore known, the underside of the opposed extending flanges on the syringe body may be gripped with the index and third or ring fingers, whereas the handle on the piston is usually engaged by the thumb. Of course, the piston may be urged into the syringe body easily enough by pushing the piston with the thumb; however, it may be cumbersome to retract the piston from the syringe body in order to collect fluids, and use of a second hand may be necessary.
Piston syringes are often used during surgery or other complex procedures. To expedite these procedures, it is desirable that the syringe be filled with a desired fluid prior to use and stored on a cart or table within easy reach of the anticipated user. It has been found to be particularly convenient to fill the syringe with a desired fluid and to position the syringe on the handle portion of the piston, which must be partially extended from the syringe body so that the syringe may accommodate the fluid. When the syringe is so positioned, it rests on the table or cart in a substantially inverted position. In this way, a completely filled syringe may be set aside without leaking the fluid contained therein.
In many cases, it is necessary to use piston syringes in conjunction with tubing that extends to a piece of equipment or to a patient's body. Syringes are often connected to tubing of various sizes when it is necessary to irrigate a distant portion of a patient's body, to administer a medicament or food, or when the syringe is used in conjunction with other apparatus. Accordingly, it has been found desirable to provide the syringe with a nozzle that may be mated with the tubing. However, because different sizes of tubing may be used for different purposes, it has been found desirable to provide the syringe with an adapter which may be fitted to the nozzle in order to accommodate a relatively larger or smaller size of tubing than would otherwise be possible.
The tube adapters are usually quite small and are apt to be misplaced, particularly in a hectic work environment. Thus, it is desirable to provide the syringe with such an adapter. It is also desirable to provide means for storing the adapter when it is not in use. Because many piston syringes are made of inexpensive, disposable materials such as plastic, it is desirable that the syringe provide a connector that is integrally formed therewith which may also be disposable.
In light of the aforementioned deficiencies, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new piston syringe which has a handle that permits a user to manipulate the syringe with only one hand both, for discharging and collecting fluids.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a piston syringe having a handle adapted for single handed manipulation which will provide a stable support for the syringe in a substantially inverted position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a handle for the syringe piston which will support the syringe in an inverted position when the syringe has been filled with fluid.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive piston syringe which may include an integrally molded tube adapter or other syringe accessory.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a piston syringe in which a tube adapter may be easily stored when not in use.